PlayTennis.com Serving as Central Portal For All Things Tennis

Since its relaunch last year by the Tennis Industry Association (TIA), PlayTennis.com continues to evolve in its ability to connect current and new players to the sport. The free, interactive website is accessible on all digital platforms—computers, tablets, and mobile phones— and allows beginners and tennis players of any ability level to find tennis programs, courts, partners, teaching professionals, retailers, gear, leagues, tournaments and instructional content.

The TIA has enhanced all of the search features of PlayTennis.com, making them more accessible and "mobile friendly.” The "Player Dashboard," one of the most visited portions of the site, is undergoing new development to provide players with a variety of tools, services, and resources to keep them connected to tennis and their tennis lifestyle.

A new "Tennis Concierge" feature helps connect players to local play opportunities. "With everyone trying to maximize their time in today's busy world, the Tennis Concierge helps to easily connect you to tennis by sending you an email of what you're looking for in your area, including facilities, coaches, programs, and retailers," says TIA Executive Director Jolyn de Boer.

Another new feature, “PlayTennis.com Offers,” provides players with opportunities for substantial savings, the chance to register for giveaways, discounted tournament ticket opportunities, and more.

Supported by the sport's major stakeholders, PlayTennis.com is an "unbranded" portal that connects people to tennis and keeps them engaged with the sport. The website was developed through a cooperative effort by the tennis industry—something unique in the recreational sports world—and designed to convey a simple, unified message to “play tennis.” So far for 2014, more than 120,000 unique visitors have accessed PlayTennis.com to utilize the unique tools and features.

"As a single source for information about tennis, how to get in the game, and how to play more frequently, PlayTennis.com is unique in this industry," says Dave Haggerty, the USTA's chairman of the board, president and CEO. "It's a website that can be supported and promoted by all industry stakeholders and will help to grow initiatives and programs, including 10 and Under Tennis and Youth Tennis, and will help to create more frequent players."

PlayTennis.com also serves as a gateway to industry-supported campaigns that help drive participation and retail growth. This year, campaigns such as Tennis Tune-Up, Try Tennis for Free, and the Emirates Airline US Open Series Sweepstakes have been hosted on and driven to consumers via PlayTennis.com.

"With the uniform messaging of PlayTennis.com and the support of the entire industry, the site is an ideal platform to help bring awareness to industry promotions and efforts to get people into the game," says TIA President Greg Mason. "It helps our entire industry when consumers are more easily connected to opportunities to play, take lessons from certified pros, purchase product from tennis retailers, etc."

"PlayTennis.com is a one-stop-shop to get people into the game, and it will be a key element in the continuous evolution to make tennis more accessible to everyone," says de Boer. "We are already seeing great results of this industry's joint efforts, and we will continue working collaboratively to bring more people into the game. It will help not only grow this sport and industry, but also will help keep consumers active and healthy."